Fatherhood
by Calypso Diangelos
Summary: Hermione catches a glimpse of Draco's private life, starting a chain of events which ensares not only herself, but Ron (and even Dobby) in a plot that ultimately reveals what has bound Lucius, Sirius, Narcissa, and Snape together for 20 years.


**Fatherhood**

By Calypso Diangelos

Author's note: Set at end of Book 5 - you have been warned.

Disclaimer: No profit. No Plagiarism. No Lawsuit. Please.

Summary: Hermione accidentally catches a glimpse of Draco's private life, starting a chain of events that ultimately reveals the ties which have bound Sirius Black, Narcissa Malfoy, Servus Snape, and Lucius Malfoy together for twenty years.

To Recap: In Book five, we learn that Sirius (now deceased) is related to Narcissa Black. Servus Snape is now "Lucius Malfoy's Lap Dog" again as he spies for Dumbledore. Lucius Malfoy and other death eaters are back in Azkaban. Harry is still at Aunt Petunia's but can now use the phone if necessary. Dobby and Winky are still employed at Hogwarts. All this is pertinent to this story. 

Prolouge

The halls of Hogwarts were completely deserted as midnight drew near. Armed with Harry's invisibility cloak, Hermione quietly made her way toward the kitchens with a pair of socks, a blouse, and a skirt in hand. The first was intended for Dobby, the latter two for Winkey (whose clothes were by now in a deplorable stat). She had meant to thank Dobby long ago for helping the D.A. escape Umbridge but, in the chaos that had been the end of the school year, had not had an opportunity to do so until now.

"Draco?" Snape's voice behind her caused Hermione to freeze What was he doing in this hallway? Immediately, she flattened herself against the nearest wall. In the quiet that followed she heard for the first time the muffled sobs that she'd failed to catch earlier. Snape too, seemed to hear them clearly for the first time. Suddenly, Hermione realized that the sobs were coming from behind the suit of armor directly across the hall from where she stood. Panic began to set in. "Draco?" Snape walked up to the armor and to Hermione's surprise, gently extracted the boy that hid behind it. In the most un-Malfoy like movement Hermione had ever seen, Draco latched on to Snape and began to cry in earnest. After what felt like an eternity to Hermione, Snape seemed to think it was safe to speak. "So I assume you've heard about your father." From where his head was buried, Draco nodded. "I meant to tell you myself."

"It -hic- doesn't -hic- mat -hic- ter." Draco squeezed out between sobs.

"Somehow Mr. Malfoy, I disagree." As gently as he could Snape extracted himself from Draco. To Hermione, (who by now was certain that either she'd fallen asleep or Hell had frozen over,) the movement looked tender - almost paternal. "Please follow me to my office." The two began walking down the hall, Draco still sniffling lightly. There was only a moments time for Hermione to think in but immediately she decided to follow. House elves could wait. Here, was a scene too strange to abandon. As silently as possible, she followed the dour Slytherians.

In a distant corner of her mind, Hermione told herself that Weasley and Potter were bad influences.

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Draco Malfoy was deeply ashamed. Not since childhood had he broken down like his. Had anyone but Servus Snape found him, he might've died of embarrassment. Unpleasantly, an incident from his first year surfaced in his head. As he sat down in Snape's office, Draco's face began to burn. "That's twice now isn't it? If you're still trying to ingratiate yourself with my father it's rather -."

"You know that isn't it." Snape spoke calmly, almost sadly. In a corner, Hermione marveled that Malfoy knew a word like "ingratiate," there seemed to be no end of surprises tonight.

"I'm sorry." As Draco bit his tongue for lashing out earlier, Hermione's eyes got wider.

"Would you like a chocolate covered macaroon?" Snape brought out a tea set and Hermione wondered if the evening could get any more bizarre.

"Did you make them?"

"Of course." Apparently it could.

There was a wisp of a smile on Snape's face as Draco took a hearty bite of the snack. Although Hermione didn't know it, Potions masters made excellent cooks. For a few minutes the two ate and drank tea, when Draco's face was finally slightly less blotchy, Snape set his cup down. Leaning back in his chair, he waited. Unsurprisingly, the first words out of Draco's mouth were "I'm going to kill Potter."

Rather than alarm, Snape's eyes showed amusement. "And you think yourself capable of what even the Dark Lord himself couldn't do?" There was a faint trace of disdain in Snape's voice and Draco's bravado disappeared.

"Please don't... don't talk like father does." Apparently Draco was going to cry again because he shut his eyes to forestall the tears. "Professor Snape, when you stayed with us this summer, I was... I was snide. I'm sorry." In her corner, Hermione nearly dropped dead. "You didn't deserve it, not after everything." Snape nodded curtly.

"You Malfoy, try much to hard to imitate your father."

"My father - ."

"Your father was careless enough to get himself thrown into Azkaban." Snape sounded suddenly angry, his dark eyes intent. The reminder of where his father was acted like a slap in the face upon Draco. "Is that what you want to emulate? To become a horrible father like him? A powerful mans lackey like him _and _ me? Isolated from life itself? Draco, what you need isn't to become him, it's to become BETTER than him." Hermione had never seen Snape like this, he was animated, passionate, to her shock Hermione found herself thinking that he'd never seemed so human.

"My father is a greater man than the likes of you will ever be." Draco's voice was uncharacteristically even. No snide-ness, no defiance. He was stating a fact rather than trying to convince someone of its validity. Snape recognized that this was one of Lucius' mannerisms. "But you're right on one count, if I want him to respect me, if I want to achieve similar greatness, I have to surpass him." Draco got a look in his eye. For the first time Hermione realized that Draco really was related to Sirius. "I'll have to destroy Potter."

"Draco!" Snape hid his alarm well, Hermione wouldn't have recognized it if she didn't know that Snape was part of the order. "You know very well that is an honor reserved for the Dark Lord himself."

"No, killing Potter is reserved for Lord Voldemort. Destroying him is another matter entirely." For the first time that evening, Draco resumed his familiar nasty grin.

Snape suddenly realized what was going through the boy's head. "Draco if you -." But Draco wasn't listening.

"Don't worry professor, I've seen it done often enough not to botch it." Draco put on a smile, a real one. Happy and strangely innocent. "Father will finally see what I'm capable of and -." The light dimmed, Draco recalled that his father was in prison. "Snape, the Dementors... they wont hurt him will..." Draco stopped, "Wait a minute, the Dementors are on our side." As if working his way through a particularly difficult problem, Draco connected the dots that up to now he'd been too upset to process. "With the dementors gone, Dad will be out in no time!" Draco got out of his seat and stood like an excited child, looking hopefully at Snape who had grown steadily more morose. "Thank you!" Impishly, he leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Snape's cheek in the same manner he did whenever he was particularly pleased with his mum. Under the invisibility cloak, Hermione had her second heart attack of the night. At this rate, she would be checking herself into the mental health unit of St. Mungo's. Draco immediately headed for the door followed closely by Hermione who was making a mental note to go to Madam Pomfry's in the morning to have her head checked for a concussion. When Draco suddenly stopped walking, she very nearly collided with him.

"Oh, Professor Snape, I know that father won't be there, but you will be spending the summer at the manor won't you?" Snape nodded, and Draco flashed another smile. "Then I'll see you at home." Quickly, Hermione followed him out the door.

Alone in his office, Snape stared at the pensive halfway across the room. Where had he gone wrong? The boy he'd seen tonight, the real Draco Malfoy, appeared rarely enough. But whenever he did, Snape always tried to give the boy a little of the guidance he so desperately needed. It seemed however that Lucius' influence ran too deep. Snape took a deep breath and closed his eyes, to the deserted room he said. "I hope you found that enlightening Ms. Granger."

End Chapter 1

Author's note: Review I tell you, Review! Blame Claire. It's her fault I read these books. Therefore this insanity is her fault as well.

8/20 - Re-uploaded due to typos the first time around. Renamed the first chapter as the prologue b/c it made more sense - mainly because it's the only chapter that takes place at school. Thank you to whoever recommended this.


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